Nocturne
by forfeiture
Summary: .
1. fortuna major

Nocturne

Harry Potter liked to roam Hogwarts castle at night. He had become accustomed to the corridors and staircases, the secret rooms, the paintings on the third floor corridor that would not stop talking to you, dirty unused classrooms and the many students you could find hiding behind statues and tapestries for secret rendezvous'.

The invisibility cloak was draped over his head and shoulders, falling just past his feet. He had to pick it up at the front to make sure he didn't trip and become seen. A detention was the last thing he needed.

Snape had become even more vindictive this year. Professor McGonagall seemed to think it was necessary to talk Snape into allowing Harry and Ron in to his potions class with only receiving Exceeds Expectations in their OWLs.

Harry had received four detentions already from him and it was only three weeks into the school year… he only deserved one of them.

He crept past the astronomy tower and heard the usual bangings and whisperings from some of the older students. He shook his head and walked off before grinning - Seamus had told him he was off to see a Ravenclaw fifth year tonight.

Harry decided to call it a night. He didn't like to stay up after two in the morning; it left him acting like a zombie the next day. On his way down to the common room he spotted Malfoy lurking outside the old charms classroom. Curiosity took over. He walked closer to him in an attempt to scare him, god knows he deserves it.

Malfoy suddenly clutched his arm and let out a small gasp of agony. He silently slid down the wall onto the floor and hid his face in his lap. Harry was shocked but couldn't walk away. Even if it was Malfoy, he couldn't leave him like this. Harry has a hero complex as many of his friends and even enemies have told him, he wasn't sure if it should be classed as an insult or compliment.

Harry took the cloak off and sat opposite Malfoy.

"Malfoy?" He asked quietly. Malfoy looked up and his expression turned from hurt to livid in less than a second.

"What the fuck do you want Potter?" He spat, "get the hell out of here you half-blood scum." Harry stood up and glared down at Malfoy.

"Why do I even bother? You'll never change." He spoke forcefully. Malfoy just glared as Harry started to walk away only changing expression to a look of shock when Harry suddenly disappeared out of thin air.

_Did I imagine that whole thing? _He thought.

As Harry lay in bed half an hour later he mulled over what had happened in the corridor. Malfoy had grabbed his left arm? Harry had already guessed he was a Deatheater since the incident on the train where he overheard most of his conversation to Blaise and Pansy and since his trip to Madam Malkins in Diagon Alley. Harry knew Malfoy would be first into Voldemort's ranks out of the students he had grown up with; it was only a matter of time so this information tonight wasn't much of a shock to him.

Harry felt nauseous. Malfoy was the same age as him. Harry had gone through so much in such little time. Fighting Voldemort every year, seeing death and destruction and losing the people he loved. Harry missed Sirius more than anything; he was the only father he had ever known and Harry was going to stay with him at 12 Grimmauld Place until he was found innocent by the Ministry. Was Malfoy going through as much pain as him?

He had been branded by Voldemort so that meant he had met him. What had been running through Malfoy's mind when he saw those vivid red eyes and that disgusting snake-like face?

It was such a short time ago when they were children. When harry was only worried about his next potions class or the upcoming Quidditch match and Malfoy was a smug little brat who would flaunt his money and superiority around the castle and make up jokes about Harry, Ron and Hermione. He hadn't done much of that this year.

Harry didn't hate Malfoy anymore. Harry had too much of his hatred focused on Voldemort to really consider hating anyone else.


	2. blaise

Nocturne

Draco Malfoy woke up the next morning choosing not to dwell on what had happened the previous night. The serpent on his arm had turned a violent shade of red and burned. His father had warned him of this and it was arranged that if it ever happened, he was to stay in school so as to not arouse suspicion.

Draco had been given a task this year by the Dark Lord himself. Snape had told him it was his punishment for his father's incompetence but Draco planned on completing the task and becoming part of his Lord's inner circle. If only the task wasn't so hard. Even Voldemort couldn't kill Albus Dumbledore, how was _he_ supposed to?

"Morning." Blaise yawned from his bed across the room as he sat up.

Draco needed to forget about his task for a little while. He looked over with a gleam in his eye Blaise had seen too many times and smirked. He smirked one of his famous Malfoy smirks that he had perfected since childhood. A smirk that he used as a mask to cover every single emotion he didn't want people to read on his face. Blaise raised and eyebrow as Draco slowly walked over to him.

Draco took off the robes he had just put on and crawled onto Blaise's bed - Blaise always gave in.

Draco took off his school tie while straddling Blaise, then reached over and shut the drapes surrounding the four poster bed. He looked into Blaise's eyes for a few seconds then slowly kissed him. No tongue, no movement, just lips on lips and closed eyes. When Blaise took hold of his waist and the kiss developed Draco truly lost himself in it - forgetting all about Voldemort, his father, his task, Harry bloody Potter and everything else that had been plaguing his mind for weeks.

Blaise pulled Draco underneath him, reversing their positions. He slid a hand under Draco's shirt and grabbed onto his tiny hips, kissing him more fiercely. Draco wrapped him arms around Blaise's neck as he grinded upwards.

They were then interrupted by the door opening. Draco could hear someone entering the room and Blaise shot up off of him, fast as light.

"Draco? We're late for class." Crabbe's voice sounded from the doorway.

Draco got out of the bed, out from behind the bed curtains fully dressed, and nodded at Crabbe.

"Alright, let's go then." He briefly stated. He walked over to his desk, grabbed his wand then headed out the door.

Crabbe looked slightly puzzled at the fact Draco had come from Blaise's bed but shrugged and followed him out of the room.

Blaise got out of bed as soon as the door closed and got dressed to go down to the great hall. _That was close_ he thought. Homosexuality was looked down upon in Slytherin and he couldn't risk himself or Draco getting found out by anyone. Crabbe and Goyle were loyal but not the sharpest tools in the shed. One slip up and the whole of Slytherin would turn against them or just himself, really. Blaise wasn't sure anything would ruin Draco's reputation.

Draco had told Blaise years ago about his sexual preference. Blaise was his best friend and someone he had grown up with his whole life. Blaise admitted then that he was the exact same and they made a mutual agreement to keep quiet.

Of course, not having many other options and both being 16 years old, incidents like this morning seemed an everyday occurrence. They never talked about it and Blaise could tell it was eating apart their close friendship. The thing was; Blaise knew he had fallen in love with Draco from the first time they kissed. It was unrequited love - Blaise never intended to tell him. He couldn't handle it if they stopped talking.

It's a hard life in the snake pit.


	3. double potions

Nocturne

Harry arrived to potions class abnormally late. He always tried to get there on time; he knew a second's lateness for him was equivalent to an hour for anyone else. His book bag had split open on the way to the dungeons and it took him a few minutes to pick everything up.

He stood at the door of the potions room waiting for Snape to notice him. _No sudden movements _he thought and grinned. Snape seemed to sense this and looked up from his desk. A scowl appeared on his face.

"_Potter_." He said menacingly. "Why are you late to my class?"

"My book bag split -" Harry tried to explain but was interrupted.

"Always the petty excuses Potter. Ten points from Gryffindor and go sit with Malfoy." He spat out then turned his concentration back to his marking.

Ron and Hermione gave sympathetic glances as Harry walked over to the Slytherin side and sat down heavily next to Malfoy. Draco didn't look up; he just kept focused on the cauldron in front of him.

"What potion are we doing?" He asked Malfoy with a blank face.

"Patience Potion, page 135" Malfoy replied tiredly. Harry was shocked he had just answered so simply. He was expecting an insult at the very least.

He turned to the page and wrote down the ingredients. Getting up to get his ingredients from the store cupboard he realised Malfoy wasn't watching his cauldron. Malfoy was looking at the wall with a far away look in his eye as his potion slowly seeped out from the cauldron.

"Malfoy." Harry said before he nudged him in the shoulder. "Your cauldron's overflowing."

Draco looked as though he was coming out of a daze before he noticed the potion and fixed it with a few cleaning spells. When he realised Harry was still staring at him he glared then started cutting up some plants that looked surprisingly like snakes.

As Harry got his ingredients Ron rushed into the cupboard.

"Forgot the Newt eyes" he said in a hurry before rushing out again. When Harry returned to the table he realised Malfoy wasn't paying attention again; he was absently stirring his cauldron. When Harry didn't have to focus too much on the draught he looked back at Malfoy. He hadn't realised this before but Malfoy looked genuinely upset lately. Harry hadn't seen that trademark smirk he so often saw directed at him.

_What's wrong? _Harry thought while looking at him. Malfoy suddenly turned and gave him a sharp look. Had he said that aloud?

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you? _Don't go acting like you care Potty, we aren't friends." Malfoy whispered hatefully with a fearful expression on his face.

The bell rang and Harry quickly scooped out a vial of his potion and ran to the front of the classroom. He handed Snape the vial and Snape took it with a disdainful expression.

He walked back to his table, picked up his bag and met up with Hermione and Ron outside the classroom.

"Hey." He said brightly to the both of them.

"Much luck with the potion? Mine ended up as orange concrete by the end of the lesson… it was supposed to be a 'midnight blue'." Ron asked him as they trekked down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Yeah, it turned out good. It's not as if I could do anything apart from work on the potion that lesson. Even Malfoy seemed to leave me to it." Harry explained.

"He seemed pretty out of it. What was wrong?" Hermione asked.

Harry was about to answer that he wasn't sure when he realised the absurdity of her question. Ron seemed to realise this as well.

"What's wrong with Malfoy? Have you gone mad? Why would we care if something's wrong with him?!" Ron answered. Hermione sighed.

"What if Harry is right and he is a Deatheater and Voldemort _has_ asked him to do something?" Harry glared as she said this.

"Of course I'm right." He stated angrily.

Hermione sighed and kept walking towards the Great Hall, Ron and Harry in tow.


End file.
